Apparatus for producing gas.



No. 702,580. Patented June l7, I902.

T. H. MULLER. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GAS.

(Application filed Apr. 2, 1901.)

(No Model.)

" LUINVENTQRV BYM'H'MVM ATTORNEYS m: Noam: PETERS C0,, PHOTO-LUNG.wAsawlwu, erg.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

ITEILE HENRY MULLER, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent NOZ 702,580, datedJ'une.17,,190 2. Application filed April 2, 1901- $erial No. 54.017.(Nomo de L) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TEILE HENRY MiiL ER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan,.city,county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus forProdncing Gas, of which the following is a speciretort 1.

with any suitable grate 3 an'd with passages 4 5 6 for the smoke andproducts of combustion, which pass through the furnace around the retortand pass out through the flue. Lo-v cated above the retort is arevolving screen '7, which receives crushed rock from a bucket elevator8, which receives the crushed rock from a rock-crusher 9.

screen delivers the crushed rock ,to a hopper 11, preferably providedwith crushing-rolls 12, by which the crushed rock is granulated,i

if desired. The granulated rock passes into a receiving-chamber 13, fromwhich it is de-'- livered by a feeder 14 to the upper end of thepassesthrough it by gravity and falls into a chamber 15, whence itpasses to a hopper 16. A suitable gate device 17 is provided todischarge portions of the charge periodically into a'car 18. A pipe 19leads from a source of steam-supply (not shown) into the furnace andpasses in a coil around the retort and is connected to the retort anddischarges steam into the retort. By coiling the steam pipe around theretort within the furnace I cause.

the steam to be heated before it is admitted to the retort. A passage 20leads from the chamber 15 to the gas-cooler 21. This cooler is shown asa casin g 22, having a partition 23,

This retort is shown" The retort extends through a furnace 2, provided.oil. A chute 10 returnstothe rock-crusher such pieces as aretoo large,to pass through themeshes of the screen. The

This retort is closed, and the rock.

in which areset U-shaped pipes 24, which I L conduct the carbonic-acidgas through the cooler. The partitions:25 are provided in order to causethe gas to pass first through one piper24 and then through the other.

The

gas is'cooled in its passage by means of cold aircirculating in thecasing 22. This cold air is supplied from a blower to the casing bymeans of a pipe 26 and circulates through the casing, coolingthe gascirculatingin thepipes 24, and passes out by the pipe 27, which may leadto the boilers or other suitable means for utilizing the air which hasbeen heated in its passage through the cooler.

jacket 29 around the chamber 15, and from the jacketa pipe 30 leads intothe ash-pit 31 of the grate3, sothat the air after aiding in cooling thespent charge contained in the From the pipe 26 a branch pipe 28 leadsto'a chamber 15 passes to the fire-bed of the fur- I acidgas is verysoluble in water, the liquid employed in the gas-holder may be a heavy IFrom the gas-holder a pipe 36 leads to the compressor for compressingthe carbonicacid gas in the liquefying process. One of the essentialfeatures of my invention is the idea of excluding atmospheric air fromthe generating apparatus for the carbonic-acid gas.

This is most efliciently done by providing one or more pipes forconveying carbonic-acid gas tothe apparatus under pressure; Inthejpresent instance I have shown a pipe 37, leading from the pipe 34.This pipe37- is connected to the apparatus at various places. In thepresent instance the pipe 37 is connected by suitable piping to theapparatus; a's-follows: It is connected to the hopper 13 in advance ofthe feeder or charge-measuring device 14 by the pipe 38. It is connectedto the head of the retort by pipe 39, and it is connected to the base ofthe apparatus by pipes 40 and 41, the pipe 40 enteringthedischarge-hopper and the pipe 41 being placed in advance of the gateor discharge device 17. By main In orderv to exclude atmospheric air, Iconnect the apparatus with a source of car- ,bonic-acid-gas supply underpressure.

taining a pressure of carbonic-acid gas at these points the atmosphericair is excluded, and the resulting product is carbonic-acid gasundefiled by nitrogen or atmospheric air.

It will be understood that I do not attempt to keep the apparatusair-tight, as that would be impracticable for commercial operations; butI achieve the result desired by supplying the carbonic-acid-gas pressureand allowing the same to escape through the joints wherever it will. Thereason for excluding the air is found in the fact that carbonic-acid gascontaining air or nitrogen is only liquefied with the greatestdifficulty, and by producing the carbonic-acid gas free from admixed airand nitrogen the liquefying operation is much facilitated.

I am enabled to maintain the pressure in the retort but slightly aboveatmospheric pressure by the use of the gaseous pressure supplied to theapparatus by the compressor or exhauster. In this manner the temperaturenecessary to disengage the gas from the rock is kept relativelymoderate, and in combination with the presence of superheated steam thedanger of the rock becoming fluxed is avoided.

Having described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In an apparatus for producing gas, the combination of a retort, afurnace for heating the same, a steam-pipe connected with the saidretort and coiled around the same in the furnace in the path of thecombustion-gases, and means for collecting the gas produced.

2. In a gas-generating apparatus, the combination of a retort having afeed end and a discharge end, means for heating the retort, and meansfor supplying a gas under pressure at each end of the said retort so asto prevent the entry of atmospheric air into the retort.

3. In an apparatus for producing gas, the combination of a retort, meansfor heating said retort, a feeder for the retort, a gas-pressure devicelocated exteriorly of the retort,

and a connection from said pressure device to a point on the oppositeside of the feeder from the retort so that the gas under pressure willpass through the feeder With the material on its Way to the retort.

4. In an apparatus for producing gas, the combination-of a retort, meansfor heating said retort, a feeder for the retort, a gaspressure devicelocated exteriorly of the retort, and a double connection from saidpressure device to points on opposite sides of the feeder so that aportion of the gas will pass through the feeder with the material and afurther portion of the gas will be supplied to the material after itspassage through the feeder.

5. In an apparatus for producing gas, the combination of a retort, meansfor heating the same, a gas-pressure device located exteriorly of theretort, connections from said pressure device to both ends of theretort, and an outlet pipe or conduit leading from the central portionof the retort.

TEILE HENRY MULLER.

Witnesses: I EUGENE EBLE, GEO. E. Mensa.

